Methods and systems for live sharing 360-degree video streams on a mobile device

Abstract

The present disclosure provides methods and systems for live sharing 360-degree video streams on a mobile device by tethering the mobile device to a 360-degree camera source to host live video streams from various venues. A 360-degree video sharing platform may be configured to ingest live video stream from one or more host devices coupled to the 360-degree camera, apply one or more image or video processing techniques, and transmit the processed image or video to one or more viewing devices via the network.

1 . A real-time streaming virtual reality (VR) system, comprising:
 at least one VR viewing device for viewing live video feeds by a user;   a host mobile device tethered or coupled to a 360-degree camera among a plurality of 360-degree cameras positioned at preselected locations at a venue, wherein the plurality of 360-degree cameras are configured to provide live video feeds of the venue; and   a server with one or more processors configured to receive the live video feeds from a plurality of the host mobile devices, including the host mobile device, and transmit the live video feeds to the at least one VR viewing device, wherein the plurality of host mobile devices are configured to include an application or logic allowing the user to preview, customize, or select the live video feeds transmitted by the plurality of 360-degree cameras.   
     
     
         2 . The VR system in  claim 1 , wherein the tethering is accomplished via one or more communication technologies comprising Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, BLE, or peer-to-peer (P2P) networking. 
     
     
         3 . The VR system in  claim 1 , wherein the VR viewing device is a head-mounted display (HMD) system or a smartphone. 
     
     
         4 . (canceled) 
     
     
         5 . The VR system in  claim 1 , wherein the host mobile device is configured to receive raw video feeds from the 360-degree camera and wrap the raw video feeds into a 360-degree range, which is optimized or customized for the at least one VR viewing device. 
     
     
         6 . The VR system in  claim 1 , wherein the 360-degree camera includes a plurality of lenses. 
     
     
         7 . The VR system in  claim 6 , wherein the 360-degree camera further comprises an image processor for performing on-board processing, stitching, and correction of images taken from the plurality of lenses before transmission to the host mobile device. 
     
     
         8 . The VR system of  claim 6 , wherein the host mobile device is configured to process the image for optimal or personalized viewing experience by the at least one VR viewing devices, wherein the 360-degree camera does not perform image stitching, and sends raw video feeds taken from each of the plurality of lenses directly to the host mobile device; and wherein the host mobile device is configured to perform the stitching and image correction process by taking the raw video feeds as inputs, and output a single stitched digital spherical and panoramic video feeds in real-time. 
     
     
         9 . The VR system of  claim 6 , wherein the host mobile device is configured to receive the raw video feeds taken from the plurality of lenses and transmit the images to the server for post-processing, wherein the server is enabled to stitch together images taken from the plurality of lenses and produce 360-degree videos in real-time. 
     
     
         10 . The VR system of  claim 1 , wherein host mobile device is further configured to determine an optimal 360-degree camera among the plurality of 360-degree cameras to tether based at least on the network bandwidth or network speed. 
     
     
         11 . The VR system of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one VR viewing device comprises a graphical user interface, wherein the graphical user interface is configured to provide previews of the live video feeds from the plurality of 360-degree cameras. 
     
     
         12 . A method of live streaming 360-degree videos to a plurality of VR viewing devices, comprising:
 detecting a plurality of 360-degree camera sources configured to capture live video feeds;   tethering a 360-degree camera source among the plurality of 360-degree camera sources to a host mobile device, wherein the host mobile device is configured to transmit a live video feed from a venue;   ingesting, by a server, the live video feed transmitted by the host mobile device; and   transmitting, by the server, the live video feed to the plurality of VR viewing devices.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the tethering is accomplished via one or more communication technologies comprising Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, BLE, or peer-to-peer (P2P) networking. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein at least one of the plurality of VR viewing devices is a head-mounted display (HMD) system or a smartphone. 
     
     
         15 . (canceled) 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the host mobile device is configured to receive raw video feeds from the 360-degree camera and wrap the raw video feeds into a 360-degree range, which is optimized or customized for the plurality of VR viewing devices. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the 360-degree camera includes a plurality of lenses. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the 360-degree camera further comprises an image processor for performing on-board processing, stitching, and correction of images taken from the plurality of lenses before transmission to the host mobile device. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the host mobile device is configured to process the image for optimal or personalized viewing experience by the plurality of VR viewing devices, wherein the 360-degree camera does not perform image stitching, and sends raw video feeds taken from each of the plurality of lenses directly to the host mobile device; and wherein the host mobile device is configured to perform the stitching and image correction process by taking the raw video feeds as inputs, and output a single stitched digital spherical and panoramic video feeds in real-time. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the host mobile device is configured to receive raw video feeds taken from the plurality of lenses and transmit the images to the server for post-processing, wherein the server is enabled to stitch together images taken from the plurality lenses and produce 360-degree videos in real-time. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the host mobile device is further configured to determine an optimal 360-degree camera among the plurality of 360-degree cameras to tether based at least on the network bandwidth or network speed. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the at least one VR viewing device comprises a graphical user interface, wherein the graphical user interface is configured to provide previews of the live video feeds from the plurality of 360-degree cameras.